


Olympians' Fate

by Sei2405



Category: Percy Jackson & The Olympians (Movies), Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21921322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sei2405/pseuds/Sei2405
Summary: When a new Half-Blood appears the fate of the Gods gets threatened. Where will the new prophecy lead Annabeth, Percy, and gang? Are the Gods really immortals?  Will the bond of friendship hold or it will be destroyed? Embark in this new adventure to figure it out.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Other(s)





	1. I – The New Prophecy

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of this fiction except for Layla. This fiction does not have any intention or so ever of plagiarizing any previous work of Rick Riordan or any other author.  
Sei.2405

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of this fiction except for Layla. This fiction does not have any intention of plagiarizing any previous work of Rick Riordan or any other author. Any similarities are pure coincidence.  
Sei.2405  
The Olympians Fate

I – The New Prophecy

Camp Half-blood was on the cusp of winter. Since the war against the Titans last summer, many campers had decided to stay at the campgrounds to help make the necessary improvements to the infrastructure and defenses. Chiron and the Satyrs were busy dealing with the many arrivals of half-bloods, and Grover (who had recently become one of the heads of the Council) was dispatched to find, secure and lead new half-bloods to camp.

It was November, and even if it wasn't quite winter yet, Mr. D (code name for the god of the wine Dionysius, and present camp director) had decided that it was time for it. His arguments were that red wine goes best with the cold season.

Percy, Nico, and Annabeth were among some of the campers that had decided to stay at camp during the fall and winter months. That night they were gathered around the campfire enjoying a rare moment of free time. They were having marshmallows and hot chocolate and talking excitedly.

"Come on Annabeth, quit that computer for a few hours! Even Nico is enjoying his hot chocolate more than you are!" Percy looked at Nico, "No offense man!" who in turn, replied, "None taken."

"Percy, I have to be constantly updated on how the construction in Mount Olympus is going. Hephaestus just created this amazing website for me, where I can check the progress anytime I want and in real-time too. I can even choose the area and the camera view I want!" The daughter of Athena said without taking her eyes off the laptop screen.  
"You're no fun. You know that?" Percy mumbled, and this, in turn, led to a small argument between the group. But after a little while, Annabeth was finally convinced to close her laptop and soon the conversation became about the new half-bloods that had arrived at camp.

"That new girl in the Aphrodite cabin is a little scary." said Nico

"Which one are you talking about? The girl with the short blond hair, who appears to be about fifteen years old? Yeah, she is kinda strange, but you can't deny that she is pretty." Percy gave Nico a suggestive look.

"Hey Nico, maybe you could start going out with her. What do you think? Hmmm?"

"Well I… I mean, yeah she is p-pretty…" Nico was trying not to blush. "But she keeps staring at me… and everywhere I go I see her… Not that I mind at all but…"

"So our Nico has an admirer! Wow!" Percy said in a teasing voice, chuckling at his friend whose face was now a deep shade of pink.

"Come on Percy, give Nico a break." Annabeth said in Nico's defense.

Percy was about to reply when Chiron interrupted the three demigods' conversation. The centaur was in his wheel-chair mode. He looked very warm and comfortable in the chilly evening, he had two blankets piled in his lap. But how he managed to drive the wheel-chair around the campground with its difficult and varied terrain was still a mystery for the demigods. He gave the three teens a small smile of greeting.

"I will have to talk to Dionysius about this weather. Centaurs are not meant to live in such cold conditions." Chiron said while rubbing his hands vigorously together. The three demigods looked at each other and smiled.  
"Oh well," the centaur continued, "I actually came here to talk to you Annabeth. Would you mind following me to the main cabin? Alone." He added, sensing what the other two teens were about to say.

"Alright."

The young woman gave her friends a curious look, grabbed her bag and walked the short distance with Chiron towards the cabin. Once they were inside, he gestured to Annabeth to take a seat at one of the couches close to the fireplace. Chiron waited until the girl was comfortable and handed her a piece of paper that he had picked up from the coffee table in front of her. On the paper, Annabeth read the words Boston, MA. She stared at the paper and then at Chiron, but she had no idea what was going on. The centaur was about to explain the meaning when the front door of the cabin opened. They both turned towards the door. A red-haired girl, who was shivering from the cold night, came inside. Annabeth leaped up from her chair, recognizing the woman at once.

"Rachel!" Annabeth went to give her friend a hug.

Rachel blushed but hugged her friend back. "How have you been Annabeth? And what is up with this temperature? It's freezing out there!"

"I am doing fine thanks. And of course, the temperature is Dionysius' doing." 

Annabeth pulled out of the hug and stood in front of her friend, smiling broadly at her. Rachel noticed the piece of paper in her hand.

"So, I see Chiron already talked to you about it…"

"Not exactly my dear friend… I was just about to begin. You got here at an excellent time." The centaur said. All of them took a seat around the fireplace.

"Well Annabeth, like I was about to say, yesterday I received an Iris-message from Grover and he said that he needed help to secure a half-blood-"

"Oh! That's what Boston, MA, means…" The blond interrupted Chiron, who let her talk since it was clear she had more to say, as she suddenly realized what was going on.

"But Chiron there are soooo many half-bloods at camp and you know how busy I am with the Olympus construction and-"

"My dear, things are more complicated than they seem. Yesterday when I received the message from Grover, the Oracle spoke through Rachel." Annabeth looked at Rachel and waited for her friend to say something.

"Well, you know that when the Oracle speaks through me, I can't remember a thing…" Rachel said, clearly looking uncomfortable. "It's kind of annoying. Luckily I was talking to Chiron through an Iris-message and he was able to get the prophecy."

"Yes. Luckily…" The Centaur said with a hint of irony in his voice. "Anyways, this is what the prophecy says;

With a lost relic the fallen will wake,  
Leading to pain and rage,  
The Gods realm will shake,  
When a daughter of Athena finds her place,  
A loving gesture will save,  
A half-blood who holds Olympus fall and fate."

Annabeth was astounded. She didn't really understand the prophecy, but she was under the impression that Chiron and Rachel thought that it had something to do with her, or else why would Chiron have brought her here? Nonetheless, she was a daughter of Athena, and she oversaw the construction of Olympus. So, liking or not, she now had to deal with the prophecy in addition to her other duties. But what Mount of Silver or love gesture had to do with anything, she had no idea.

"It looks like I'm out for a new quest. When will I be leaving?" Annabeth asked while getting to her feet, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on her arm.

"Annabeth." Rachel said quietly, looking at her friend with concern. "The prophecy… it can mean different things. Some of the words may not mean what you think they do."

"I know Rachel, don't worry. I'll be careful." Annabeth knew more than anybody how tricky the Oracle could be. "I really don't want to mess with the Olympus fate." She gave her friend a reassuring smile. Just then Chiron cut in.

"You will be leaving tonight. Go rescue the half-blood and bring her back safely. I'm sorry it has to be so soon, but something doesn't seem quite right, I can feel it." Chiron's voice was tinged with apprehension.

"Now go and pack what you need, and please be quick about it… and I guess you are taking Percy and Nico with you, am I right?" He smiled at the girl who smiled back and nodded positively and walked towards the door.

"Hold on Annabeth."

Rachel ran towards her with a small package in her hands. "A few weeks ago, I went to Italy with my parents and I found this. I thought it would suit you, so I got it for you."

Annabeth unwrapped the small box and found a small ceramic bottle inside. The bottle was beige and had a picture of Athena in her Roman form on it. It looked like the old ceramic bottles that were used to hold poison in ancient times. The bottle only held eight ounces and was held shut with a cork on the top. Annabeth was touched. She loved it, especially because in modern times, a bottle like this was exceptionally rare. She gave her friend a smile of thanks.

"Thank you, Rachel. It will be my lucky charm for the quest."


	2. II – The New Half-Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of this fiction except for Layla. This fiction does not have any intention or so ever of plagiarizing any previous work of Rick Riordan or any other author. Any similarities a pure coincidence.  
Sei.2405

II – The New Half-Blood

After talking to Nico and Percy, and explaining everything, they got ready to leave. Annabeth had packed her computer and a few other essentials for the trip. The small bottle that Rachel had given her was placed in the water bottle compartment on the side of the bag. She was wearing a white winter jacket with her bronze knife hidden in her boots. Nico was dressed like a punk rock dude with an oversized black leather jacket, and Percy was wearing his favorite blue-greenish hoodie. They were all gathered at the campfire again.

"Ok guys, problem one..." Annabeth looked at the piece of paper that Chiron had given her on which he had written the words Boston, MA.

"How are we going to get to Boston? The Pegasus' are refusing to fly in this weather. Problem two; once we arrive in Boston, how are we going to find Grover?"

"Well, that's easy." Nico said. Annabeth gave him a quizzical glance.

"Percy will help. He knows what to do."

Percy gave Nico a look that clearly said 'What are you talking about? '

"Just call Mrs. O'Leary." The son of Hades said, giving a small sigh of impatience.

"Oh Right! Shadow travel!" Percy whistled and a few seconds later a huge black hellhound jumped on him licking his face.

"All right, all right, I am happy to see you too…" the son of Poseidon moved from underneath the hellhound.

"Mrs. O’Leary, we need your help. Can you bring us to Boston to where Grover is?"

"WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary stood up so the three of them could climb onto her back.

"I hope this is safe." said Annabeth moving to sit in between Percy and Nico.

"Close your eyes and don't open them until we get there." Percy advised and Nico giggled. After that, they disappeared into the shadows.

Grover was standing outside, and slowly freezing to death. He had on his fake human legs covered with a pair of shaggy jeans to hide his satyr form; his red hat was hiding his horns. Even with two jumpers, he couldn't stand the cold. The satyr was hiding behind some trees in a small park observing a brunette girl conversing with two strange men.

The first guy was bold and very muscular; he was wearing black leather pants and a black leather vest with big pointing horns coming out of the shoulders. He had a tattoo in the form of a snake crossing over his left eye. The other guy was very tall and very skinny. He had a mohawk and many piercings all around his face. A chain to one of his eyebrow’s piercings' connected to the bull ring piercing in his nose.

For Grover, the whole scene seemed completely wrong. What would a beautiful brunette with amazing blue eyes be doing with guys like that? Seriously, this girl looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. She was tall and her long, straight hair was cut in layers with her bangs being just long enough to fall gently into her eyes. She was wearing skinny black jeans, a simple white v-neck shirt and a dark brown leather jacket, which was currently unzipped. She was skinny but had an athletic build. Though she clearly looked tomboyish, there was a hint of elegance beneath it all. Suddenly Grover heard a noise behind him;

"Owwww! What kind of transportation is that?" Annabeth said getting off of Mrs. O'Leary, rubbing her sore shoulders.

"Come on it's not that bad. Good job Mrs. O'Leary." Percy said, patting the hellhound behind her ears after it laid down for a nap.

"About time for you guys to arrive! Now be quiet, we don't want to be found out." Grover whispered, motioning the trio over with a wave of his hand. Percy, Nico and Annabeth joined Grover, making sure the group ahead couldn't see or hear them.

"Wow! Who is that girl over there? Juniper is going to get jealous Mr.G!" Percy joked.

Grover playfully smiled back at his friend for a moment, before turning serious again.

"That's Layla, the half-blood I told Chiron about, but I don't know what she is doing. Those guys are the monsters that are after her."

"How come they didn't kill her yet?" Nico asked perplexed about the situation.

"I think we are about to find out." Annabeth pointed towards the group. "Listen, they're talking about it." And the group strained their ears to listen to the conversation…

"Come on Layla, join us! We need your skills." The skinnier guy said.

"I already told you, Kevin, I don't want to be part of your schemes. If you and Rex don't leave me alone you will deeply regret it." The girl said with assurance in her voice. The big guy standing there flushed in an angry shade of red.

"Kevin, I am sick of this crap. Let's finish off this arrogant demigod. Even though we were told not to, I'm sure they can find another one." The muscular beast said cracking his neck and knuckles ominously.

"As you wish boss" Kevin replied also cracking his knuckles as they advanced on the girl standing before them.

"Crap, this doesn't look good." Every muscle in Grover's body was taut and alert from the sheer amount of monster essence that the two punks were emanating.

"I think it is time for action." Percy said while transforming his pen into a bronze sword.

The area around the monsters and Layla was starting to become surrounded by a thick fog. Within a minute, fog covered the entire park area. Annabeth, Nico and Grover agreed with Percy and all of them charged in the direction where Layla was.

What exactly the plan was, Annabeth didn't know yet. Right now the priority was to stay alive. They stopped right behind Layla. Their vision was impaired by the fog, so they couldn't see where the two guys were. Annabeth noticed that Layla didn't move an inch since the evil energy had slowly begun to consume the park. She walked towards the brunette.

"Are you ok?"

Annabeth touched the girl's shoulder to catch her attention. The girl turned around and her eyes met Annabeth's. The moment they made contact, Annabeth suddenly felt a sharp pain between her eyes. She fell to her knees and for a split second all she saw was darkness, lightning was striking the blackness, and images of her mom Athena were being created by each flash of light. The picture was the same one Annabeth saw on the bottle that Rachel had given her. A sudden weight on her shoulder broke Annabeth out of her reverie.

"Hey what's wrong?"

Nico was kneeling beside her with a hand on her shoulder. He looked concerned. Annabeth stared at the girl right in front of her and was shocked to see that she was also kneeling, and now she spoke;

"Who on earth are you guys?" The girl stared at Annabeth's silver eyes and then looked at Nico.

"I don't think we have time for introductions right now." said Percy with his sword in his hands looking towards the two guys, who had now come into view in the midst of the swirling fog.

The first guy had grown twice as tall and strong. He was massive. The veins in his arms and forehead were bulging out to the point of explosion. However, what held Percy's main focus was the size of the battle hammer the guy was holding. He could easily smash an army tank with only one swing. The other guy named Kevin had grown bony wings that reminded Percy of bat wings. He was wielding a huge double ball mace.

"Annabeth! Move!" Grover yelled just in time for Annabeth and the brunette to dodge the double mace coming from above. The attack left two craters on the ground where the two girls were standing seconds ago.

"We gotta go!" Annabeth yelled. "Percy, get Mrs. O'Leary ready to go! Come on let's move."

Annabeth took the other girl by the arm and started running behind the others in the direction of the trees.

"I don't need your help." Layla said, wrenching her arm from Annabeth's hand and running right behind the blonde girl.

"Watch out!"

The flying monster was about to lay down another attack on the girls, but the brunette was able to tackle Annabeth out of the way. But now they were separated from the group and ended up further away from their destination.  
Layla spotted some large rocks in the middle of the park; she looked at Annabeth, and grabbed her arm,

"Come on, let's go towards the rocks." They hid behind the rocks wishing that the fog covered them. Their hiding spot could easily be seen, but it was the best they could manage under the circumstances.

"That was a close one! I'm Layla, and I guess you are Annabeth, right?" Layla extended her hand for a handshake. "Sorry about being a bit short with you there. Stress makes people irritable."

"I am Annabeth. It's nice to meet you." The blond shook Layla's hand. "We need to find a way to get to the woods. We will bring you to a safe place."

"Hum… I don't usually trust people that I just met, but something is telling me that I should follow you."

Layla got into a crouch and carefully looked over the rocks in the direction of the woods. There she could see Percy and Grover searching for them.

"Alright. The place where your friends are is about fifty meters from here. How good is your sprint?" She asked, lowering herself back behind the rocks once more.

Annabeth looked at her without understanding the question. Layla figured that the blonde didn't understand so she decided to explain the plan.

"That friend of yours… The one in the red cap, he is a satyr, right?"

"Yes. How do you..." Annabeth was about to ask, but she was interrupted.

"It's a long story. He was flirting with me a few days ago and suddenly he made a weird goat sound. It was a bit disturbing, really. Anyways, he explained the situation and told me that he was expecting his friends to come and assist him. I didn't get what he was talking about. Going back to the current circumstances, those guys are after me. So, I will distract them while you run for the woods. When you get there, ask the satyr to play the highest pitch he can on his wooden thingy… I don't know what it's called."

"Hey hey hey, hold on a second!" Annabeth held out a hand to stop the girl, perplexed with what she just heard.

"How do you think you are going to run away from those guys?" Annabeth was looking at the brunette. "And why high pitch notes?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm covered. Just trust me." Layla pulled her right sleeve up and looked at Annabeth with assurance in her eyes.

Annabeth saw a silver bracelet with celestial bronze ornaments in the shape of laurel leaves encircling it. Right in the middle, a deep blue sapphire gem was shining brightly, almost blinding her with its dazzling light. She stared at Layla even more confused. Layla smiled a bit, and opened both hands with the palms facing up, and said out loud;

"Excalibur, serve me as your master!"

Blue and silver energy materialized from the bracelet. Annabeth closed her eyes against the sudden flash of light and when she opened them again, a silver sword with celestial bronze edging rested in Layla's hands. The sword was about eighty-five centimeters long. The guard, the grip and the pommel were shining silver decorated with celestial bronze laurel leaves. Right in the center of the guard, the blue sapphire was shining just like in the bracelet.  
Layla smiled at Annabeth, who still looked shocked

"See. I told you I'm covered."

Annabeth tried to respond but was still utterly speechless. Layla waited a moment before she spoke again to give the blonde a little more time to adjust.

"Ok. On the count of three, we go separate ways. Give me some time so I can distract them. Just run straight towards your friends. Ready?" Layla asked, but Annabeth didn't have time to reply; the brunette was already counting.

"One… Two… Three GO!"

Annabeth didn't have time to argue, she just had to trust. She took off like a shot towards the forest where her friends were. Her blond hair was flying. Behind her, Layla ran the opposite way of the woods and yelled trying to catch the monster’s attention;

"Hey Kevin, Rex! Come get me if you can you ugly punks!"

As soon as the two monsters charged at Layla, Annabeth used the few seconds of distraction to reach the woods. She was quick to reach Percy, Grover, Nico and Mrs. O'Leary. Once she had reached her destination, she put her hands on her knees, gasping for breath. "I have to run more often!" she thought. Her attention turned back to the fight when Percy poked her shoulder;

"You have to see this! Man, she is good! It would be hard to beat her in a fight!"

Annabeth watched Layla fight. It was an amazing sight to behold. She was able to handle the two guys without too much trouble. Of course, it wasn't easy, but her agility, power and every single movement were precisely calculated. There was no wasted movement by the brunet. Suddenly a noise rang out through the woods.

BOOM!

Rex had smashed his hammer on the ground, creating an earthquake. Layla fell to the ground and her sword flew from her hands. Rex laughed;

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Who is going to send who to hell now demigod? I will crush every bone in your body!"

"Stop calling me demi… demi whatever it is! My name is Layla if you didn't learn yet! And remember my name, because one day I will be the one to rip your head off!"

Rex clenched his teeth in fury and got ready to hit the final blow. The three teens were watching helpless when Annabeth suddenly remembered what Layla had said right before she ran off.

"Grover! I need you to hit the highest pitch you can with your pipe! Fast! No time to explain, just do it!" Annabeth told Grover.

Grover played as hard as he could. The pitch was so high that it made the other three half-bloods near him cover their ears in pain. At the same time, the monsters yelled like their brains were melting in their skulls. Layla took the opportunity to roll under Rex's legs and charge towards the woods. Grover stopped playing once Layla joined them.

"Whatever your plan is to take us out of here, it has to be now!" Layla said pointing at the monsters that were already recovering and making their way towards the demigods.

"Don't worry. My friend here will take us home safely." Percy said patting the hellhound on the head.

"Oh boy…" Layla gave Mrs. O'Leary a look of apprehension before joining Annabeth, Grover, and Percy on top of it. She looked at Nico and asked if he was coming too. Nico blushed.

"Don't worry I can shadow travel by myself." The younger boy said.

"What's shadow-?" Before she could finish her sentence, they disappeared into the shadows.


	3. III – Back to Camp Half-Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you like it!

III – Back to Camp Half-Blood

Mrs. O'Leary landed close to the campfire just a few minutes before dawn. Layla lay sprawled on the ground with one arm on her forehead; she was dizzy after the shadow travel or whatever it was called. The battle against Kevin and Rex had also drained a large amount of her energy. It wasn't easy to control the powers of Excalibur. She carefully moved her arm away from her eyes. She was still able to see some stars in the grayish light of pre-dawn. She didn't move, but just used her eyes to glance at her surroundings. Layla figured she wasn't near the city anymore.

"Is everything alright?"

Startled, Layla looked to her right where Annabeth was standing and offering a hand to help the brunette stand up. She gladly accepted the help.

"Yeah, I am fine, thanks. I'm just a bit dizzy after the ride." She decided to keep the explanation about Excalibur draining her energy a secret for now.

"Maaaan! I hate to travel like that!" Grover said, clearly annoyed. He had already removed his jeans and now looked like a real satyr.

Layla scanned her surroundings and saw the campgrounds; different cabins were organized in an omega shape with two small buildings standing in the middle. Everywhere she looked, all she could see were trees; she could also hear the ocean. The wind started to blow, causing a light pleasant breeze to blow in her direction. It made her feel a little better. For some reason the wind had this weird power of making her feel more energized, she couldn't explain why. Layla now turned her attention to the four people that had come to her rescue. The younger and slim boy was now back as well, and they were standing a short distance away, talking in low voices.

"Alright guys. I am sorry to interrupt your conversation, but who are you? And what is this place?"

The group stopped and looked over at her. Layla moved closer to them. Annabeth took the lead and explained to Layla everything about the camp. The group also introduced themselves and explained the reason why she was brought there.

"Hold on a second. You are telling me that one of my parents is a god? A Greek God? That Annabeth you are a daughter of Athena, Percy a son of Poseidon and Nico's dad is Hades, the lord of the underworld? You guys gotta be kidding me.”

The brunette sat down on one of the chairs close to the campfire in disbelief. She just couldn't believe it.

"This is all completely true. We would have no reason to lie to you. Also, how would you explain all the weird things that just happened?" Annabeth said.

“It also explains a little about why you have your sword, although I never heard about it before. I don't want to be too intrusive, but who gave that to you? It might give us a clue as to which god is your mother or father." Annabeth continued, sitting down in the chair beside Layla, who was shaking her head in disbelief.

"I don't know who gave me the sword. I have this bracelet on me since I was a baby… at least that's what the couple who adopted me said."

The three demigods and the satyr exchanged significant looks.

"Oh, don't feel bad." – Layla said reading their silence. "I had a really great time with them. But they died two years ago." She laughed a little, but she suddenly felt inexplicably sad. The others picked up on it.

"I'm really sorry about your guardians." Percy said. "But hey, you have some serious fighting skills!" He tried to change the subject. "Where did you learn them? Have you fought monsters before? What's the name of your sword? How do you unleash it?" He was so excited that he couldn't stop talking. Everything was coming out in a big rush of words.

"Percy come on! Give the girl a break! She just got here." Annabeth threw him a dirty look.

"It's alright, I don't mind." Layla smiled kindly at Annabeth, which made the silver-eyed girl blush and look away shyly.

"I learned about swordsmanship when I was very young. I officially started practicing when I was eight. It was about the same time when Excalibur first appeared to me." Layla looked at the bracelet and touched it in an affectionate way.

"My guardians were worried about something. When I was growing up, they always told me I should be prepared; they said I was different, and I would have to face tough decisions in the future. At first, I thought they were just being worried parents, but now after what you told me, I guess I know what they meant. Maybe they always knew who I was. I started to fight monsters as soon as my parents died. They were appearing from out of nowhere. Many of them asked me to join them like Rex and Kevin, as soon as I said no, they tried to kill me…"

Layla stopped talking when Grover brought her some hot chocolate. She thanked him and stared at the steam being pushed away by the wind.  
A few minutes passed. It was getting a bit warmer; the sun had come out and it was now touching the fields of Camp-Half-Blood. There was a pleasant silence amongst the group. Annabeth somehow felt a little bad for Layla, but she still had one last question.

"So, Layla," Annabeth looked at the girl that still hadn't touched her hot chocolate. The girl looked at her as if startled out of her thoughts. "Do you know the reason why the monsters wanted you to join them?"

"No. They never said. The only thing that was common with all of them was that they told me their master had sent them to recruit me.”

The group stopped talking when they sensed someone coming towards their direction. It was Chiron on his wheelchair.

"I see you guys have come back earlier than expected. Why don't all of you follow me to my cabin."

Layla looked at Annabeth, searching for an approval sign. Annabeth nodded slightly and they all went with Chiron.

“By the way, he is a centaur.” Grover whispered in her ear while they walked.

At the cabin Chiron introduced himself and heard from the group what had happened. Annabeth asked Layla to explain to Chiron everything that had happened to her until this day. The blue-eyed girl told him her story, starting from when she was adopted, until the recent events.

"Would you mind if I see your bracelet?" Chiron asked Layla.

Layla pulled up her right sleeve and moved her arm towards Chiron so he could see the bracelet closely.

"I would be glad to take it off for you, but I’m afraid I don't know how." Layla said. She felt a little embarrassed admitting that and could feel a faint blush appear on her cheeks.

Chiron widened his eyes for a split second when he saw the bracelet, but a split second later he resumed a neutral expression. He lifted his gaze and stared straight into Layla's eyes.

"My dear," He said in a warming and soft voice. "A bracelet like this won't be easily removed. It's like it has a mind of its own." 

Chiron smiled at Layla without taking his eyes away from her sapphire eyes. "I think we still have much to find out about you."

Layla pulled her arm back and dropped her sleeve, covering Excalibur. Annabeth looked at Chiron as she had many questions to ask him. She knew the centaur was hiding something and she wanted to know what, but it wasn't the right time to ask.

Chiron dismissed the group and told them to rest until lunchtime. He also asked Annabeth to show Layla the entire camp after they had lunch.

"Oh Annabeth," Chiron called before she left the cabin. "Layla will be staying at the Athenian cabin with you. It's for safety reasons."

"Chiron, are you sure? What about the camp rules? She hasn’t been claimed yet…"

"It will be fine. Trust me she will be better off there."

Annabeth gave Chiron a suspicious look, but then left the cabin, jogging a little to catch up to her friends. After they left, Chiron made his way towards a bookshelf and got a book from it. The book was covered in dust as if it had not been opened for centuries. He placed the book on the table and ran his hand on the cover pushing some dust away. A picture of a sword was revealed;

"Olympus fate…" The centaur said in a low voice as he stared at the sword's image.


	4. IV – Bonds

IV – Bonds

Annabeth led Layla to the Athenian cabin. The daughter of Athena showed Layla around and introduced her to the few sons and daughters of Athena that were attending camp at the moment. She also told Layla that she could take the bed that was right across from hers. Annabeth gave Layla a pair of grey warm-up pants and a hoodie so she could change, and rest for a little bit. While she was changing, the daughter of Athena excused herself to use the bathroom.

Annabeth turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face. After using her towel to dry her face, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her silver eyes were glowing; I look awful. Well I think is expected after last night.  
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Annabeth looked at her image again, the conversation she had with Layla on the way to the cabin came to her mind…

They were passing in front of the cabins and Annabeth was explaining to Layla about how the structure and placement of the people within the camp worked.

"So, you mean that every demigod- sorry I mean half-blood, inherits a characteristic or special ability of their godly parent?"

"Correct." Annabeth replied while lifting a hand in greeting to some campers that passed by.

"Your eyes..." Layla said "they are silver…" she felt a little uncomfortable saying it.

"Yes, they are." Annabeth smiled at the brunette.

"I mean they are beautiful. They truly are." Layla gazed so intensely at Annabeth that she made the blond blush. To cover up her embarrassment, Annabeth prattled on.

"Well, my eyes are a gift from my mother. Not all Athenian kids have it, but it is a very special trait…" Annabeth trailed off when she saw that Layla was staring at the floor like something was bothering her.

"Annabeth..." Layla paused for a moment before continuing on. "When you are around normal people, and by normal, I mean regular human beings, with your eyes… they don't seem to be bothered by their unusual color? People aren't scared or suspicious?" Layla stared at Annabeth again, but this time Annabeth could catch a little sadness in her expression.

"Well as you may already know, surrounding all humans is something called 'The Mist.' The Mist hides everything from the human eyes, so in this circumstance, they only see my eyes as regular hazel eyes. However, there are humans that can see through the Mist, but they are rare exceptions. In the end, I never have to worry about it." She was kindly smiling at Layla, who was still gazing at her with the same intense look as earlier.

"It's a shame that they can't see how beautiful they are." Layla said making Annabeth blush even more than before.

Annabeth shook her head wildly, trying to clear the memory. She was blushing again, much to her dismay. Just the thought of the sapphire eyed girl looking at her and saying how beautiful her eyes were; it was enough to cause her cheeks to glow pink. "Come on Annabeth, get a grip! She was just being polite. Yeah, she was simply being nice, that's all". She told herself while making her way back to the cabin and the nice cozy bed that was waiting for her.

When she made her way into the main sleeping area, she couldn't help but look over at Layla. She was lying on her bed, already fast asleep. She looked completely different asleep. Annabeth went to the closet and grabbed a heavy blanket. She walked towards Layla and carefully covered the girl with the blanket.

It was an unseasonably cold morning for November. “Oh Mr. D is so going to hear about this…” Annabeth silently promised. But now is not the time. She gazed towards Layla once again. “She is so beautiful; even the daughters of Aphrodite would surely agree.” She suddenly became aware that she was staring at the sleeping girl.

“Alright, Annabeth snap out of it! Now is not the time to be daydreaming. There are much more important things at stake!” She scolded herself, rubbing her temples in an almost violent fashion. "I think I need some sleep myself. I'm obviously not thinking clearly." She mumbled. Annabeth quietly climbed into her own bed and moved around until she found a comfortable place on her bed to have a well-deserved nap.

///

It took Layla only a few moments to fall asleep after hitting her head on the pillow. That fight had drained her of most of her energy, and the shadow travel did nothing to help her regain any of it back. As soon as she fell asleep, she found herself in a weird dream.

At first, Layla was in her house. All the lights were turned off, and her adopted mom was sitting by the couch in the living room. All Layla could see was her shadow flickering on the wall behind where the lighted candle sat in the middle of the table. Layla approached tentatively.

"Mom?"

As soon as Layla got closer to the woman, her mom turned around. She reached out with lightning speed to grasp both of her arms tightly, before starting to shake her violently. She spoke in an oddly rasping voice.

"Your eyes; never show anyone your eyes. My poor baby, never show them… the Gods, they will punish you..."

The house suddenly started to shake. The walls started to crumble around them and when the ceiling was about to collapse on Layla, she held her arms up in front of her face to protect herself from the impact. A few moments passed. She carefully moved her arms, and she found herself in another place.

Now Layla was on the top floor of a skyscraper; the wind was blowing in a furious dance. She cautiously made her way to the edge of the building and looked down. She saw New York City spread out before her, all looming under a dark thundercloud. All the lights were off, and all she could hear were the sounds of the waves, massive ones crashing loudly against the shore and invading the city. The storm was fierce and wild. Thunder boomed aggressively loud and lightning bolts were rapidly striking the city. She looked around, and among the flashes of light created by the lightning, she could see the city buildings in ruins.  
"What is going on? Why is the city destroyed?" She asked herself. Layla could feel a growing sense of panic rising within her.

It was at about this time that she registered the weight of Excalibur, which was unleashed in her hands. Layla looked around and figured that the building she stood on was, in fact, the Empire State building. Feeling a sudden wetness on her hands, she lifted her right hand. She saw that her hands and Excalibur where soaked in blood, red and golden.

She stepped back in alarm, tripped over something. Looking down, she could see spread out below her on the floor, four human bodies splayed out, looking very still. She knelt for a closer look, and to her horror, she recognized three of them. Layla saw with clarity, the lifeless bodies of Percy, Nico and Annabeth, her dear friends.

Layla gave a loud, sobbing gasp, dropping Excalibur in her despair. She looked around for an exit, but she couldn't find one. Layla could feel herself growing numb with shock. She simply couldn't think straight anymore. Then suddenly from a random point on the wall, a door opened. An elevator door. A person with a long black hooded vest covering his entire body appeared in front of her. She didn't even look up at first, but a strong force compelled her to stare straight at the figure in front of her. All she could see was a pair of demonic red eyes staring at her. They seemed to be looking into her soul with their searing glance. Layla felt pain beyond anything she had ever felt whip right through her head. She screamed in agony. The evil, demonic being started laughing in a satisfactory way, as he cupped her face in his hands. He spoke in a voice of pure malice.

"Well done my child. Well done indeed."

Layla panicked; she couldn't move. She was nearly blinded by the pain, and that strong evil presence had caught her. His face loomed closer and closer to her, but then she felt a sharp tug as her conscious awoke.  
Layla nearly fell out of bed, and caught herself at the last second, sitting down at once. She was breathing hard and coated in a sheen of cold sweat. Even worse, she realized she was holding something with a near death-grip in her right hand.

"Ouch! Layla, are you alright? I was just trying to wake you up, it's about lunchtime."

It was Annabeth. Layla felt a wave of relief wash over her. She released her death grip from Annabeth's wrist. The blonde rubbed the place Layla had grabbed.

"Powerful hands you have there, hum?" Annabeth tried to smooth over the situation with an attempt at humor. She could see that Layla was not doing very well.

"I am so sorry." Layla apologized, feeling embarrassed about what she had done. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She straightened up on the edge of the bed, rubbing her eyes.

"It's alright. No need to worry about it. We've all had nightmares at one point, right?" Annabeth said. She carefully sat down beside the brunette, suddenly feeling a little awkward. Somehow every time she was close to Layla, she found herself at a loss of words, and that did not happen too often to her.  
After a few moments, Layla stood up and stretched, giving Annabeth a small smile.

"I suppose we all have weird dreams sometimes." She was now looking around trying to find her clothes and rubbing her left eye that was really bothering her.

"Oh right. You need your clothing!" Annabeth had quickly realized what the blue-eyed girl was looking for. She went over to her bed and got Layla's clothes and handed them to her. They were all clean and folded.  
Layla looked at her favorite leather jacket. It was special to her. It was a memento left from her real mother. Other than the jacket, she didn't have anything else from any of her parents. Not even memories. She checked the pockets looking for something, after a moment of panic, her hands closed around the object she was looking for and Layla gave a small sigh of relief as she pulled it out of her pocket.

Annabeth was just observing the brunette; she saw that she now held a small plastic bottle in her hands.

"Eye drops?" Annabeth asked in confusion. "That's a weird thing to carry on you."

Layla turned to Annabeth still rubbing her left eye.

"Yeah. I wouldn't survive without this little thing. Extreme dry eyes here." She tossed the little bottle to Annabeth to check it out.

Annabeth had seen the girl rubbing her left eye, but she just now realized how red the white of her left eye was. She gave Layla back the bottle and watched her put a small drop of it on her eye.

"That's all you need, one tiny drop?"

"Yep, that's it." Layla smiled. "What's more interesting is that I have had this same eye drop container since…" She stopped to think, "Well, since I can remember! It never seems to get empty. My adopted mom gave it to me."

"That's crazy." Annabeth said surprised. "Dress up. I will be waiting for you outside the cabin."

"All right boss! I will be right there. Don't leave me behind, 'cause if you do, I might get lost and become hellhound lunch!"

Both of them laughed as Annabeth made her way outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading guys! Leave a review or a comment if you like or if you have any suggestions on what I should improve to become a better writer. Thanks


	5. Chapter 5

** V - Chaos and Findings **

Annabeth and Layla walked together to the dining cabin. Most of the campers were already sitting down and eating their lunches. They paused for a moment in front of the main entrance; Layla saw that Nico and Percy were sitting alone and at separate tables. She wanted to ask Annabeth the reason for that, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, they were spotted.

The campers had started to stare at them and now began whispering amongst themselves. Layla could feel her face heating up, but because she was used to be the target of local gossip, she quickly regained her composure. Annabeth ignored the whispers and proceeded to lead Layla towards the main table where Chiron was seated beside Grover. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Percy vacate his table and leave the building.

"Come on. Let's go." Annabeth said to the brunette, tugging on her wrist, shaking her out of her thoughts.

They passed through the seemingly endless row of tables. Layla could hear the boys gossiping about her appearance and how beautiful she was, and they were beginning to take bets to see if she really was a daughter of Aphrodite. On the other side of the room at the Aphrodite table, she heard them saying how boyish she was, though they all seemed to agree that she was fairly attractive.

Layla felt sick to her stomach. Her entire life she had been spoiled by strangers because of her looks. She knew she was boyish, but she didn't care. It was something she was proud of. _'Be who you are and don't show your weaknesses.'_ That was something her foster dad had always told her. She believed him and carried that belief with her to this very day. After what seemed like an eternity (but in reality, only about a minute), they finally reached Chiron's table. Annabeth asked Chiron where Layla should sit, and Chiron told Annabeth to bring her to the Athenian table for the time being. At that statement all the campers became silent for a moment, Layla felt as lost as a blind person caught in the middle of a crossfire. But even in this situation, Layla kept calm and cool. She thanked Chiron and followed Annabeth to the table where she took a seat right beside her friend.

While they were eating, Layla could still sense the curious stares. At first, she tried to disregard it, but very soon she couldn't ignore them any longer. She dropped her silverware with a loud clank onto the table.

"Alright, so what's the big deal about me sitting here?" Layla asked Annabeth.

"It's because you haven't been claimed yet. Just ignore it." Annabeth then proceeded to explain to her all about how half-bloods must sit at their family's table as a form of respect.

"And when am I supposed to be claimed?" Layla's tone was dripping with disdain. She was volatile; she felt unstable and it worried her.

.

"It usually happens when you are thirteen. If not then, it happens when you pass through the gates of Camp Half-blood or sometimes it doesn't happen until the campfire at night. Don't worry you will know your true origin probably by tonight." Annabeth took the last sip of her drink, while Layla sat with her food untouched. After a few moments, Annabeth stood up.

"Are you ready for another tour?"

"Sure." Layla said, pushing her food aside. "Where are we going now?" Layla suddenly felt much better. She almost felt a little excited. ‘_Wow. I'm going through lots of different moods today. I'd better be careful not to lose control.’ _She thought rubbing the bracelet on her right wrist.

"What do you think about the arena?"

"The arena is fine with me. I'll go wherever you would like to go."

"Good. Then it's settled then."

The two girls stood up and grabbed their plates. After depositing them in the kitchen they left the dining hall without a backward glance.

They headed straight to the arena, stopping only when Annabeth pointed out an important building or two. The weapons house, for instance, was located just a few buildings down from the dining hall. When they reached the arena, Layla saw to her amazement, what looked like a completely accurate replica of the Coliseum. On a much smaller scale but still impressive. Many campers were already using the space; most of them practicing with swords or javelins and shields. Right in the middle of the arena, they spotted Percy sparing with a camper. They walked towards them to watch it closer. It was a very quick fight. Within seconds Percy had the other boy disarmed and held his own sword an inch from the boy's throat.

"Wow, he is good." Layla said, supposedly to herself, but Annabeth heard her.

"Yeah, he is. Unfortunately, Percy is the best swordsman among us, which is very disappointing because he is very irresponsible, never thinks before reacting and he thinks he's sooo superior. Honestly! The boy needs to grow-up." Annabeth's tone was bitter.

As soon as Percy saw the two girls approaching, he helped the boy to stand up and thanked him. After that, he rushed towards his friends.

"Annabeth, Layla! Did you girls enjoy your nap?"

"It was short." Layla spoke in a very cutting tone to convey the message that she didn't want to talk about it.

"I see you are not tired at all Percy." Annabeth said in mock disdain. "It's only midday and you're already showing off." She raised an eyebrow in disapproval.

"After watching Layla fight the other night, I felt inspired." He suddenly became excited.

"Hey, Layla what do you think? Are you up for some sparring?" Percy was clearly fired up and he grabbed a suit of armor and handed it to the brunette without waiting for an answer.

Layla looked at the armor and then at Annabeth.

"I don't think so…"

"Come on! Just a quick one, it won't take long. I'll have you beat in a mere instant." Percy said. His tone was challenging, and Layla picked up on it.

She gave Percy a quick nod, and the brunette dropped the armor on the floor and retrieved a sword from the sword rack nearby. Her blood was boiling. Layla was normally very patient, but she couldn't tolerate somebody challenging her to do something she didn't want to do or looking down on her like she was less than a person. That was exactly what Percy did whether he intended to or not.

"Layla, this really is not a good idea. He's just goading you. Ignore him! It's what I usually do." Annabeth was more than a little concerned for Layla. The brunette turned and gave Annabeth an intense look.

"Don't worry about it. It's just like Percy said… this won't take long. You might not know, but I hate losing."

They were already into it. Annabeth could see in their eyes and feel the charged atmosphere. Percy looked at Layla who was already into fight mode.

"You are not going to use your own sword?" He asked, raising a questionable eyebrow.

"No. My sword is only used for special occasions. This isn't one of them."

They began walking in slow, tight circles analyzing each other's movements and searching for weaknesses. Percy couldn't believe it. He was not able to find any openings in Layla's form. Clearly, she had some exceptional training.

He decided to charge right in and let the fight flow. He attacked Layla and was instantly blocked. The noise of the swords making contact was so loud that it caused all the campers around them to look over at the sound. Seeing who was fighting, they all dropped their weapons and surrounded the fighting duo in a large circle.

_“Whoa. Annabeth wasn't kidding. He's strong.” _Layla thought, her arms straining to hold off Percy's attack. 

“_Well I can see this fight won't be as easy as I had thought. Better switch tactics with this one.” _Percy told himself. He pulled back and retreated to the edge of the circle of people to regroup.

The fight went on for a few minutes. Every move the duo made was even more amazing than the previous one. Percy's next attack pushed Layla back. The impact was so powerful that dirt came off the ground, impairing everyone's vision as it swirled around them. When Layla was able to see through the cloud of dirt, she saw a younger girl with short blond hair in front of her. The girl must have tripped on a weapon lying on the ground, because she was holding her foot with a look of pain on her face.

"Percy! Stop!" Annabeth yelled, already discerning the severity of the situation, but it was too late. Percy was already on the move; he wouldn't be able to stop his attack in mid-air.

Quick as a flash, Layla dropped her practice sword and charged forward, holding out her bracelet.

"Excalibur! Serve me as your master!" and the brilliant sword suddenly appeared in her hands. The energy emanating from the sword blinded every camper with a searing brightness that caused them to close their eyes against the harsh whiteness. The powerful winds that came from unleashing Excalibur sent Percy flying in the opposite direction.

After a moment, the brightness faded, everyone opened their eyes to see something unbelievable. Percy was lying on the floor with a sword pointed at his chest. The shorthaired girl was crouched behind Layla away from the danger. Both Layla and Percy were breathing hard. The brunette moved the sword away from Percy's chest and Excalibur materialized back into bracelet form. Layla turned around and helped the girl to stand up.

"Are you alright?" The brunette asked. Layla tried to sound kind.

The younger girl was terrified and trembling. She whispered an apology for her inconvenience and quickly excused herself. Layla turned back to Percy and helped him to stand up. The crowd around them slowly dispersed. “_Oh, this is just lovely. Even more gossip to go around. Great job Layla.”_

"How did you do that?" Percy asked astonished. "That move… it was wicked fast, you had only a small chance of stopping that attack. How-"

"Let's just say I was lucky." Layla smiled at him.

"No, you are really amazing! You cannot call that luck! Even I, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon doesn’t have the ability to do something like that. You had to time that move perfectly..." He kept up the tirade until a furious Annabeth interrupted him.

"Percy! You should know better than that! You could have killed somebody! You are so irresponsible!"

"Relax Annabeth! Nothing happened!" He replied cautiously. "I was just showing Miss Layla here how to spar. Obviously, she doesn't need any lessons!" He laughed at his own cleverness. It made Annabeth want to scream at him even more.

Layla was standing to one side and observing the quarrel between her two friends, when out of nowhere a sharp pain struck her head. Her vision went blurry. The pain was unbearable. She fell to her knees, holding not to cry out in agony.

Layla could barely hear Annabeth and Percy calling her name. A pair of glowing demonic eyes filled her vision, and she began to hear the ghost of the laugh from her dreams. Images flew through her head; Annabeth, Percy and Nico’s bodies lying lifeless on the floor. The laughter stopped and she could now hear the same evil voice whispering inside her head;

'_Grow stronger! Destroy everyone and everything precious in your life. Ha-ha-ha-ha.'_

The voice faded and the pain started to subside. After a few moments Layla could hear Annabeth's voice clearly again;

"Somebody, bring a son of Apollo here, fast!"

Layla could feel how worried Annabeth was. The blue-eyed girl managed to open her eyes and gather some energy.

"Annabeth. I am fine. Don't worry." She sat on the floor of the arena and took a deep breath, trying to make her vision come back to normal, which was taking longer than she wanted.

"Um, you just collapsed on us. Of course, we're going to worry." Percy said, looking at the girl and to Annabeth subsequently. "You look very pale…"

"I'm alright. I just got a little dizzy…" She managed to give a weak smile that didn't convince Annabeth in the least. Annabeth turned to Percy;

"Alright, you heard Layla. She's fine. So let's go back to the cabin, but not you Percy. Since you were the one who started this whole mess, _you_ get to clean it up."

Annabeth indicated the arena, which was now full of abandoned weaponry as everyone quickly exited the area; no doubt off to inform the rest of the camp of the epic fight they had just witnessed.

"Oh come on Annabeth…" Percy trailed off when he saw the expression on Annabeth's face. It was downright scary, even by his standards. After a tense moment he acquiesced.

"Fine. Fine." He grumbled. "Oh Layla, thanks for sparring with me... And good luck with Annabeth!" He gestured towards Annabeth, who was standing there with her arms crossed looking very angry indeed.

"Sure…" Layla said. She gave Percy a look of confusion as she carefully stood up. She was still a little dizzy and her head was pounding as if she had a headache. Percy said his goodbyes and started to clean the arena, all the while mumbling to himself about the unfairness of it all.

Annabeth now came to stand in front of Layla. She still looked livid. She glared at the brunette. Layla winced at the sudden stab of pain, and suddenly Annabeth softened her expression, as she remembered what had just transpired.

"Come on, let's go. You can use my shoulder if you want." The daughter of Athena said. The faintest hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks. "I mean… If you need to that is."

"T-Thank you." Layla said now blushing as well; she was grateful for Annabeth's assistance.

They walked back to the cabin in silence. Once inside the threshold, Layla took a seat on the bed she was assigned earlier. Annabeth stood in front of her with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a serious expression on her face. Layla instantly felt ashamed and avoided the other girl's gaze.

"So… are you going to tell me what the heck happened back there, or am I going to have to find out myself? Because you know, the daughters of Athena are among the smartest human beings on earth. So you can tell me or not, but be advised that I will find out eventually, and it would be better for both of us If I know now."

Layla swallowed hard. Annabeth could be extremely intimidating and persuasive when she wanted to. Layla struggled for a moment, but in the end decided to tell Annabeth everything.

Time seemed to become non-existent as Layla told Annabeth about how Excalibur drained her energy, and about the dream she had had about the strange person with demonic eyes and the blood on her hands. She decided to omit the part about the visions of the death of Annabeth and her friends. She did, however, tell the daughter of Athena what happened after the fight with Percy.

"Hmm…that's very interesting."

Annabeth looked deep in thought for a moment. Layla gently put a hand on her shoulder and the other girl shook her head suddenly and flashed Layla a bright smile.

"But you don't have to worry about anything. We will find out what's going on soon enough. What intrigues me the most right now is your sword. If we could find out more about it, we may be able to find out why this guy with red eyes is after you. I know about the legend of Excalibur, but I’ve never heard of it to be linked to the Greek Gods.”

Layla lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. "I wish I knew more myself…"

Suddenly Layla felt something cold on her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw Annabeth's face looming right above her own. It was so unexpected that she found herself holding her breath, as her heart began pounding loudly in her ears. The daughter of Athena had her right hand on Layla's forehead. Layla blushed from being so close to the other girl. _What's going on here? Why am I blushing?_

"Oh dear, you are running a fever. I will get you some medicine." Annabeth slowly stood up and walked away. 

A moment later, Layla could feel her heart calming down and she let out the breath she had been holding.

Meanwhile, Annabeth went to her nightstand. “_Oh for Athena's sake! What the heck did I just do? Get a grip!” _Annabeth thought while grabbing a bottle of Aleve and a glass of water to give to Layla. She took a deep breath to regain her composure. When she approached Layla's bed, she smiled warmly at the girl as if nothing had happened.

"Here we go." She handed the water and the pills to Layla. "You stay here and rest. I have some stuff to do, but I will be back soon to see how you're doing. If you're really feeling bad, just head up to the dining hall. There's always someone there."

"So half-bloods also keep Aleve with them." Layla joked.

"Well they do come in handy about once a month, it is not like we can take ambrosia for womanly needs, if you know what I mean."Annabeth chuckled softly. Layla smiled and shook her head slightly.

"Hey thanks again." The brunette took the pills and placed the glass of water on the night table beside her bed. "You don't need to worry about me, Miss Daughter of Athena. I will be fine." She flashed Annabeth a smile.

"You're welcome." Annabeth walked towards the door, with a ghost of a smile still on her lips.

"By the way..." Layla stopped the blonde before she closed the door. "You look much better when you smile."

Annabeth looked back and felt her face burning. "T-thanks. Get some rest now." she quietly closed the cabin door behind her.

Layla woke up to the sounds of voices outside the cabin. She yawned and stretched. After a moment she got out of bed and put on her jacket she had casted aside before falling asleep and headed outside. Layla heard more voices coming from the campfire which she saw flickering in the distance. Judging from the darkened sky, Layla figured she had been asleep for at least a few hours. She followed some campers who were also headed towards the fire, and when she got closer she saw that most of the camp was gathered together. Many campers were talking jovially amongst themselves. Some satyrs were playing music, while other campers were sitting by the fire drinking hot-chocolate. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. Layla approached the group tentatively, looking for Annabeth and the others. After a moment, she located Chiron and headed towards him.

Chiron was now in his centaur form; his white stallion bottom was covered by a red blanket and he was wearing a green sweater with snowflakes on it. It reminded Layla of her adopted parents, and when they wore their old Christmas sweaters; she couldn't help but smile at it.

Chiron was in the middle of a conversation with Annabeth, it looked intense so she decided not to interfere. At the opposite side of the fire from where Chiron was talking to Annabeth, she spotted Percy and Nico. She decided to go and join the two of them for the time being. Percy grinned and waved at Layla as she approached them.

"Hey. how are you doing Layla? Annabeth told us you had a fever. Are you feeling better?" Percy welcomed her.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm doing much better actually." Layla replied, rubbing her hands together for warmth. It was actually pretty chilly outside.

"Would you like some hot-chocolate?" Nico offered.

"No thanks. I am not a big fan of sweets, other than gummy bears."

"Oooh gummy bears! I haven't had those since I was a little kid." Percy had such a comical look on his face that the other two couldn't help but laugh.

The trio started talking about random things. Percy made fun of Nico with the girl from the Aphrodite cabin, while Nico blamed Percy for almost killing the poor girl during the fight with Layla. They all laughed together for a few minutes. Suddenly, storm clouds started to gather above the area of Camp-Half-Blood. The campers looked up in alarm at the clouds that were starting to unleash thunder and lightning amongst the cold, whipping wind that sprang up. 

Many campers were beginning to back away in fright. Chiron announced to the campers not to panic and to remain calm. Layla's hair was flying everywhere; brunet strands were hitting her face. Through the mess she saw Annabeth staring at her with a serious face. The wind subsided for a moment, and then out of nowhere a lightning bolt struck from the sky headed straight towards Layla. The girl threw her arms in front of her face and hunched down trying to protect herself, but it was too late. Layla knew she was done for. However, instead of pain, all she felt was numbness. After a moment she felt small tingles in her body as if there was an electric chain running through her. She put her arms down and stood up straight checking to see if she was all right.

A light in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She looked down at her bracelet. The sapphire in the middle was glowing intensely. It almost looked like the lightning had ignited the bracelet. She lifted her head towards Chiron waiting for an explanation. The centaur stopped in front of Layla, placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled at her.

"Well. I think I was mistaken for once and I couldn’t be happier." He said, making Layla feel even more confused. "We just found out who your godly parent is." Chiron backed up a bit and gave the girl a little space.

Layla raised an eyebrow at him and stared at her bracelet. Then she looked at the sky which was now cloud-free. Comprehension dawned on her and her eyes went wide with shock. After a moment she began to speak.

"Are you serious? There is no way- please don't tell me that my dad is Zeus." She gazed up at the sky again. A loud thunderclap rang out.

"You are correct my child." The centaur said.


	6. VI – Is that a bad move

** VI – Is that a bad move? **

Almost two weeks had passed since Layla got to Camp Half-Blood. In those two weeks so much had happened; Layla discovered an entire new reality that she wasn't aware of. And on top of that, she found out that she was a daughter of Zeus, which scared her to death. After she was claimed as Zeus's daughter, she ended up moving to the cabin designated to his child, which made it difficult for Layla to spend time with Annabeth. For the past week, she had barely seen the daughter of Athena; or Annabeth was busy doing something for Olympus in her laptop or she was stuck in Chiron's cabin for long meetings. She had a feeling that the daughter of Athena was avoiding her. Layla tried her best not to care about it by spending long hours practicing the sword with Percy or helping Nico to take care of Mrs. O'Leary. Furthermore, after her little spare with Percy a few days ago, many campers came to them asking for swordsmanship instructions. That led Chiron to appoint both of them as 'temporary instructors." What Layla interpreted as a way of keeping them out of trouble.

It was around two o'clock in the afternoon, Layla was lying on her improvised bed in Zeus's cabin doing nothing; that afternoon Percy was the one in charge of the lesson. The cabin was empty and dull; there were no beds other than hers and one more across the hall. Layla had no idea whose bed that was. No one had commented on another daughter or son of Zeus. The brunet with blue eyes was bored to death. She wished she had some of her stuff with her. Unfortunately, other than the clothes in her body and some other pieces Annabeth had lent to her, she had nothing.

"Alright! I need to go talk to Chiron and ask permission to go back home to get some of my belongings. This cabin is too depressing…" She stood up and stared at the statue of Zeus right in front of her. "No offense dad." She apologized and made her way out.

Layla was about to knock on Chiron's front door when she heard voices coming from inside. Instantly she recognized Annabeth’s voice followed by Chiron's and Percy's.

"You cannot do that Chiron! If you are right about what we found out in this book, things will become much more complicated!" Annabeth shouted while hitting her hands aggressively on the table.

"My dear, there is no other way to it. This might be our only chance to find out the truth." The centaur replied.

"Annabeth, don't worry it will be fine. I’m going to be there as well." Percy assured.

"Furthermore, neither I have a saying on that." An edge of worry was noticeable on Chiron's voice, "It is a direct order from Olympus… And they demand you, Percy and Layla on this quest."

"But why Layla? She just got here! And I don't think it is a good idea since the entire monster community is after her…" Annabeth was interrupted by the noise of the front door being opened...

"I am not sure what you guys are talking about, but I’m going. I can’t stand staying inside that huge cabin by myself anymore, I have even memorized all the carvings on that statue." Layla said walking inside the cabin. She had a serious expression on her face and was staring intensely at Annabeth. "I actually can use this opportunity to get some of my stuff at home. It will work out perfectly!" She was now smiling kindly at the daughter of Athena.

"So, it is set! The three of you are leaving tomorrow early morning." Chiron said in a satisfactory way.

Annabeth hit her fist on the table once again and rushed outside the cabin bumping into Layla on the way out.

"What's wrong with her?" The brunet asked Percy and Chiron, both shook their head as of 'I have no idea.'

/

Annabeth couldn't be more furious. If she had something in her hands, she would probably crush it into pieces. She decided to head towards the cliff to calm down a little bit. She sat by a rock nearby and rested her head on her hands. Below, the waves were hiding the cliff wall rhythmically and the cool wind was blowing softly; she raised her head and stared at the ocean shore in front of her.

"Annabeth…" She heard a familiar voice calling for her. "Do you mind if I join you?"

The blond stared at Layla's friendly smile and turned her attention back to the ocean in front of her. "Sure." she replied in a calmer tone.

The brunet took a seat by the grass near Annabeth; she sat in a leisurely way, leaning back and putting her body weight on her elbows. Layla closed her eyes for a few seconds and felt the gentle wind blowing.

"This is a nice place…"

"Yeah, it is…" Annabeth's answer was followed by seconds of silence.

"So… humm… What is going on?" Layla turned her glance towards Annabeth, but the blond didn’t reply.

"Come on Annabeth, what's the matter?" Again, there was no answer, Layla finally gave up; she stood up, put her hands on her pants front pockets and began to walk away.

"Do you want to know the story behind your Excalibur?"

Layla stopped by the sound of Annabeth's voice.

"What do you mean?" The brunet turned around to face the daughter of Athena that was now standing with the wind blowing her hair from behind and covering part of her sad expression.

"I am asking you if you want to know it or not?"

Layla stood still for a moment and made her way back to Annabeth. She smiled gently and placed her right hand on Annabeth's cheek. She stared at the blonde’s silver eyes, finally she retreated her hand and stared at Excalibur that was on her wrist.

"No… I don't. I am not quite sure if it is the right time for me to know yet."

"That's what I thought…" Annabeth turned once again in the direction of the cliff. "Maybe if you knew it you would change your mind about going to this quest."

"Annabeth… I…" Layla tried to explain.

"I know… You want to find out by yourself right?"

"Yes." Layla smiled. "And I don't want you to worry about me, everything is going to be just fine." Layla left Annabeth behind and walked back towards the camp.

“Only if it was that simple.” The daughter of Athena murmured to herself.

/

Layla couldn't fall asleep that night. The fact that Annabeth already knew something about Excalibur, and she didn't was frustrating. However, better than anybody else, she knew that it wasn't the time to find out about it yet. She didn't want anything holding her back. She wanted to be able to think clearly and to make decisions without being impacted by something she didn’t have control over. Furthermore, she had other priorities on the top of her "worrying list", for example, the demon in her dreams and making sure none of her friends end up dead. She needed to protect them at all costs.

Morning finally came. The faint sunlight was already out when Layla met with Percy and Annabeth by the arena entrance. Both of her friends were wearing heavy ski jackets, Layla looked at them with a confused expression.

"Good morning. I didn't know we were going to ski." Layla said with a playful smile.

"Oh, good morning." Percy replied while finishing tying his shoes. "You didn't hear? Last night the northeast was smashed by a huge snowstorm. They said it’s supposed to snow at least for the next three days nonstop."

"Really? Great. I didn't know about it…" Replied the brunet while staring at Annabeth that was kneeling on the floor finishing to check her backpack. "Good morning Annabeth… Nice bottle you have over there…" Layla tried to start a conversation with the daughter of Athena.

"Good morning." Annabeth replied coldly. "Thanks. So… Let’s go?" She finished checking her backpack ad now was placing her bronze knife on her armband.

"Yeah, let’s go…" replied Percy "our ride is just getting here."

The three demigods looked at the sky where three Pegasus were making their way down.

"I convinced Blackjack and two of his friends to give us a ride to Boston. That’s where your house is right Layla?" Percy said with a smile on his face.

The three Pegasus landed smoothly on the ground. One of them, the only black one made his way towards Percy.

"Watz up boss! Cold day today for a ride hum…"

"Blackjack right on time! Thanks for the help" Percy said petting the beautiful creature.

"No worries boss just don't forget, a month of unlimited sugar cubes…" Blackjack reminded Percy. "Wooooow! Who is the hot beauty with you? If you had told me would have to give a ride to such hottie I would have given you a discount boss!"

Percy busted a laugh and introduced Blackjack to Layla. The Pegasus bowed his head slightly. Although, Layla couldn't understand a thing that Blackjack was saying, she smiled and introduced herself.

The ride to Boston was a pain. The cold wind was cutting their faces, the strong streams of cold air made it difficult for the Pegasus to travel. Finally, after a couple hours they were flying over the skylines of Boston.

"So, what’s the plan?" Layla yelled so the others could hear.

"The quest is basically to find clues of who those demons with red eyes are and why they are after you…" Replied Percy. "I think it would be a good idea to go by your place first so we can warm up for a little bit… What do you think Annabeth?" He looked back to get Annabeth's response.

The daughter of Athena had been quiet since they left camp. As Percy expected he didn't get an answer, so he turned to Layla that was riding right beside him.

"I guess it is up to you to lead the way now, since Annabeth doesn’t feel like bossing us around, we will stop at your place."

Layla shook her head in agreement. She was telling Percy where to go, while he was giving the instructions to Blackjack. Half an hour later they had left the metro area of Boston behind and were flying over a dense pine forest.

"Just a bit further and we will be able to see a clearing in the woods…" Layla told Percy. "The house should be… right there."

Just as Layla said, a clearing appeared into view. From the sky, Percy and Annabeth saw a huge house. It was, as Percy would call "a Colorado mansion style," it seemed even out of place. The Pegasus descendent from the skies and landed on the driveway.

"What a nice house boss… you should marry her and invite me to the parties." Blackjack said while Percy was dismounting.

"I will work on it." Percy smiled and wicked at the Pegasus. "You can go back now. Please tell Chiron that we got here."

"Yes boss… be safe." Blackjack and the other two Pegasus flew into the skies again.

The weather had subsided for the moment. However, all the land was covered by a good amount of snow. Layla took the lead walking to the front door of the house. She reached for a vase on the left of the door and grabbed a key from underneath it.

"I'm glad it is still here." The brunet opened the door and invited her friends to come in.

Percy and Annabeth got astonished; the house was absolutely beautiful; the ceilings were high with huge volts, the whole house was made of logs and cement, the house was a mix of rustic and modern.

"Guys I am going upstairs to get some of my stuff… Feel free to light the fireplace, it's the first button on the top right." Layla said throwing the remote control to Percy. "Oh, and you can go check the kitchen for food. I don't know if what I have left here is still edible but check the pantry, I might have something there. If you need anything just call me." She ran upstairs right after.

"This place is amazing…" Said Percy sitting on the big dark brown leather couch in front of the fireplace while pressing the fireplace button.

"It’s nice…" Annabeth said studying the ceiling of the house that had really caught her attention. "I am gonna go check the pantry and get us something to eat…"

“Annabeth…” Percy called for her with disapproval in his voice. Stopping the blond half-way to the kitchen. “When will you let it go? You know… It’s not her fault.”

Annabeth looked back at Percy but silently kept walking to the kitchen.

“So inflexible…” The son of Poseidon murmured.

The kitchen, just like the rest of the house was very modern. Annabeth looked around and found some cans of soup. When turning on the burner she felt like someone was observing her. She checked a glass door behind her that led to the back yard but didn't see anything. She stopped to look at the snow that was falling again. It was hard to see outside, especially because it was getting dark.

"I might be going crazy…"

As soon as she started to walk back towards the oven something went flying through the glass door. Annabeth covered her face in reflex, she turned around and all she could see was snow blowing inside the kitchen. She realized that in front of her just by her feet, among the pieces of glass and snow, a girl with black short spike hair was holding her shield with the face of Medusa engraved on it. Not only that, but the girl was pinning down a boy about their age.

"Thalia, what are you doing here?" Annabeth yelled at the girl.

"Oh… hello Annabeth, how are you doing?" Said the girl while struggling to hold the boy down.


End file.
